


Running Out

by Tahlruil



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Established Relationship, I Made Myself Cry, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mild Language, No Dialogue, Steve Feels, Steve Rogers-centric, Stony Bingo, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-19
Updated: 2017-01-19
Packaged: 2018-09-18 12:49:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9385958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tahlruil/pseuds/Tahlruil
Summary: Fighting is a normal part of every relationship, Steve knows that. Even stupid, ridiculous fights that he doesn't mean, but that happen because he's stressed and Tony's freaking out, and things just... escalate. Those fights don't mean much - they can work through them. Steve knows that, and usually Tony does too. This was just... just a really bad one, and Steve knows his boyfriend will be thinking that this is it, that Steve's finally going to get fed up and just leave. Once they've both had a chance to calm down, Steve will go find him and then they'll make up.It'll be fine.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Oh my god. I made myself all emotional and upset and that's so uncool. Cried and everything. ;.; This is for my 'Running Out of Time' square for Stony Bingo. I... it got sadder than I meant for it to. I'm sorry? ^.^;;
> 
> I didn't edit much of it yet, 'cause I was all upset, but I'll go through and do that at some point. XD Once I can read it without crying. XD
> 
> Comments please? :D Thanks so much for reading!

“ _Fine then, leave! See if I care!_ ”

The thing is, Steve knew that Tony _did_ care. He’d heard past the biting anger to the nearly crippling insecurity underneath. He could remember every whispered conversation in the dark, the ones where Tony told him that everyone _always_ left, tone of voice sad and resigned enough to break Steve’s fucking heart. He had vivid memories of Tony asking, _begging_ him to stay; he could remember every time he promised that he would. So Steve knew that no matter how angry they’d gotten at each other, no matter how heated their _stupid_ fight had gotten, Tony didn’t mean it. Tony wanted him to stay, so they could work it out; he wouldn’t say it, but Tony wanted Steve to stay just a little longer, so he wouldn’t leave for ‘Guy’s Night Out’ with anger between them.

Steve left anyway.

~.~.~

“ _H-hey, Steve. Don’t worry alright? It’s… okay, I promise. We’re okay. I… it’s gonna be… fuck. It’s okay that you left. It’s… god I love you so fucking much. Steve…_ ”

Grabbing beers with the guys (and Nat) was usually a great time. They all had a lot of fun together, and as much as he loved Tony, it was great to have a couple nights a month away from the craziness that came from dating a genius billionaire. Bucky and Sam could always cheer him up, because not only were they his best friends, but they were absolutely ridiculous when it came to their own relationship. Pretending to be ‘frenemies’ wasn’t fooling anyone, not when any person with working eyes in their head could see how gone they were on each other. Watching them dance around each other was always worth a laugh.

Nat and Clint were almost as fun, though in a different way. Clint flirted outrageously with _everyone_ , and made the stupidest jokes Steve’d ever heard. Even when he was in asshole mode, you couldn’t help but find him charming. Watching him win hundreds of dollars at darts even when he was fall-down, black-out drunk was hilarious. Nat’s understated, dry humor was a godsend – some days, her running commentary at work was all that kept him going. He needed and loved his friends, and most of the time when they carved out an evening for themselves, it was nothing short of amazing.

After a fight with Tony? Well. Those nights out were never as fun. It sucked, sitting in a booth and wondering what the other man would be doing – would he be drinking? Would he shut himself away from the world for the next week? Would he trash their bedroom? Would he sit on their bed, convinced that this time he’d finally driven Steve too far? Would he be so sure that Steve wouldn’t come back that he’d have Steve’s things packed up, ready to be shipped wherever he wanted?

Canceling was out of the question though. They never canceled, not for anything. So Steve had to go – there was just no way around it. He could have stayed the extra hour and soothed Tony, yeah, but there was never any thought that he just wouldn’t show up to ‘Guys Night Out’. Not even for his boyfriend would he call Nat and say he wasn’t coming. And he wouldn’t leave early, either, not even if Tony’s false bravado at the end of their fight was echoing in his head. Not even if, half an hour in, his phone began to ring brightly, brashly, and wouldn’t shut up. After ten minutes of that, the combined glares of Clint and Bucky had him sheepishly turning off the sound.

‘Guys Night Out’ was a phoneless, significant other-less affair.

So he ignored the way his phone continued to buzz against his hipo until, finally, around 11, it stopped. Tony would understand, and anyway it was probably just a series of voicemails. He’d listen to them in the morning, when he could give them his full attention so he could figure out where Tony’s head was at. It was just a fight. It was a stupid, stupid fight that was really all his fault anyway, but his boyfriend would be twisting himself into a pretzel to find ways that it was his own fault. Steve just had to make it through the night, pretending that he wasn’t worried sick over Tony and their relationship.

God, he should have just said yes.

Why hadn’t he just said yes?

~.~.~

“ _Sti-ill not picking up huh? Guess I… really pissed you off. Otherwise you’d sneak off to the bathrrroom to answer. ‘Member babe? ‘Member when you slipped off’n we had phone sex whiel you were’n th’ pub bathroom? ‘Member? I do. I… … … … remember ev’rythin’. You w-were th’ best, babe. Besss’ thing ever happened to me. Runnin’… runnin’ low on time here, but… dun never ferget, kay? You were th’ bes’thing I ever had’n I love you._ ”

The house was dark, when he was finally allowed to stumble home, but that didn’t worry him too much. He figured that Tony was either in his workshop or maybe he’d even gone into the office – after their biggest fights, he still tended to run away. Steve worked so hard to try and make sure Tony understood that he would never just _leave_ , and that a fight was just that, a fight. It didn’t mean they were over, it didn’t mean that Tony had fucked up, or any of the other crazy thoughts that Tony tended to fixate on. For the most part, it had worked; his handsome genius was so much more secure and happy. But after really bad fights, he tended to run.

There were only three voicemails on his phone, which Steve found a bit odd – Tony’d been trying almost desperately to reach him for hours. Usually he had a voicemail with every call, and dozens of texts, but now… now it was just a ton of missed phone calls and three messages. But maybe that was alright, he decided in his slightly tipsy state. Maybe it meant that Tony wasn’t as frantic as the number of calls led him to believe. First thing in the morning, he’d listen to them, and then he’d go fetch his wayward boyfriend. 

Tony’d been pestering him to take some time off so they could go on vacation together – maybe they could do that. As he stripped and crawled into their too-big, too-cold bed, Steve mused over the thought and decided it was a good one. The subject of that last fight would have really shaken Tony’s faith in them, in _Steve_. 

God, he really should have just said yes.

But he hadn’t, and that damage was done. He’d overreacted, and he’d find a way to make sure Tony knew that. He’d make sure Tony understood that Steve saw them together for the rest of their lives, that he was in this forever. He’d just had a really shitty day, and he’d been eager to go meet with his friends and let off some steam. He _loved_ Tony – loved him more than anything. So after freaking out the way he had, after refusing Tony that way, he just… he had to make this better. A vacation together, where they could both focus all their attention on each other for a little bit would be great. He could take a week, maybe even two… in the morning, he’d call Pepper and see how much time Tony could afford to take, and ask her to help him pick a place Tony would love.

Yeah, a couple weeks with his best guy to rebuild their relationship was just the ticket.

In the morning, he’d listen to the voicemails and make his calls. Once that was done, he’d collect Tony and explain everything.

For now, he’d sleep off the beer and whiskey he’d had, and dream that he’d said _yes_.

~.~.~

At three o’clock in the morning, there was a knock at the door. When he went to answer it, Steve could see a police car with flashing lights through the window, and he knew. It was a rock slide, the officer told him softly. Nothing that anyone could have predicted or stopped; a freak accident. The rescue crews had worked hard to get to the people trapped beneath, but it just took too long - in the hours between the actual event and when emergency personnel had reached them, both Tony and his driver had passed. The officer offered condolences and asked if she could call anyone for him, but Steve could hardly hear her through the blood pounding in his ears.

They never did get to go on that vacation.

Steve never stopped wishing he’d answered the fucking phone.

Steve never got to say ‘yes’.

~.~.~

“ _S-ste-eve. Runnin’… runnin’ outta time. Wish you’d… ha. Wish you’d pick up the phone. M’sorry. Sorry I fucked it up. Can’t… can’t get Jay. Ambulance can’t get through. Dunno what h’pp’ned, ‘xactly. Sorry tho. … … … … … Steve? S’okay, promise. We’re okay. And I woulda… I wanted to marry you. Wanted it so fucking bad babe. Wasn’t ‘cause-a that stu-stupid article. Tha’ was’n ‘scuse. Had the ring fer ages’n ages. Got scared. Didn’t… didn’t know how to ask. Wasn’t a joke, Steve. Promise it wasn’t. But I’m runnin’ outta time here, I think. No-ot gonna call anymore. Gonna… take a nap. Maybe they’ll come b’fore… maybe. Love you Steve. More’n anything. Woulda married you. So sorry. Steve…_ ”


End file.
